On August 30, 2022, KUAS and Sogang Korea team had a meeting for collaboration. First, we shared our igem ideas and gave a presentation on how far we have materialized the idea and how much we have realized it. After presenting the state of each team's ideas, we exchanged questions for understanding more details, gave feedback on the parts about an additional supplements, and gave some suggestions on how to commercialize our ideas in the future.
The specific contents of our meeting are below.
1. Introduction of team's idea
KUAS_Korea: ABC biofilter : annamox based on cell free filter
Hello. I am Song Ming-kyu, the leader of the KUAS team. The idea we are conducting this year in iGEM competition is ABC filter for removing algae-causing substances and algae. In our filter, we are going to use enzymes from the anammox process and enzymes that can produce hydrogen peroxide. The reason we use enzymes from the anammox process is because the biggest cause of green algae is nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, so we focused on nitrogen, which can be converted into a vaporizable form. Originally, the bacteria that perform the anammox process are used in the water purification process, but cultivating the anammox bacteria takes up to a short period of one month to six months, so we took only the enzymes that do the process and organized to proceed with this series of peocesses. Then, in the case of hydrogen peroxide, there is a study that removes green algae by spraying about 2 ppb of hydrogen per liter in places where green algae are already prevalent. This sod has an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide in the mechanism of removing oxygen radicals from humans or yeast after oxygen breathing, so if can take part and produce hydrogen peroxide in aerobic situations and mix it with water to remove algae. Also, the benefit of hydrogen peroxide is that the final products are only water and oxygen. It is less harmful than the other drugs for removing the green algae. This is why we selected these two ways.
KUAS wiki linkSogang_Korea: SynBioBot : ６-axis robotic arm for automated cell culture
Sogang : Hello. I am Ham Jung-min, the leader of the Sogang Korea team. The idea we are conducting this year in iGEM competition is a robot system that is possible for 'Automate remote control and cell culture'. To explain our project's motivation, it is education and lab about cells. Almost all classes were using videos or the material useing computer simulation becuase of Covid-19. However, the downside of the approach is that uniform data, the absence of variables for unexpected situations, and the inability to conduct self-directed experiments. Also, the working environment is very poor, becuase the working hours are set according to cell condition. Therefore, our team wants to solve these problems by using the robot system that is possible for automate remote control. Sogang wiki linkThe anticipated effects of Synbiobot that we implemented are as follows: First of all, in terms of education, even if a pandemic such as COVID-19 occurs, the level of education that can conduct experiments can be maintained. Students in developing countries that lack experimental equipment or students who have difficulty moving to the laboratory due to their mobility can also be given a chance to take the initiative in the experiment. By reducing the number of people who cultivate cells, you can get away from economic effects and labor-intensive tasks, guaranteeing leisure life, and securing time to focus on your research.
2. Time to ask questions, feedback and suggest additional ideas -To SoGang Korea // From KUAS-
KUAS : It's refreshing to hear that you chose cell culture automation robot as the subject of the project. In our case, we are usually not good at thinking about these mechanical devices while preparing for the igem competition, but I wonder if there is a reason for this.
SoGang : We actually participated in the igem for the first time, and we gathered in various fields, including mechanical engineering, biotechnology, chemistry, and computer science. Among them, there are a lot of mechanical departments. So I was thinking about how to mix mechanical, biological, and chemical content of robots, and I started thinking about how to automate cell culture at a time when automation is on the rise these days.
KUAS : We're doing a simple but repetitive cell culture process by hand, so if Sogang's Synbiobot is realized, it could be an opportunity to focus more on other research, so I really enjoyed watching it. Not only that, but it was also fascinating to see a new field. In fact, when we participated in the igem, it was very meaningful to look at a really fresh approach to constructing ideas around enzyme-based, or parts of the igem, to make the desired protein, chemical reactions, or life-in-vivo.
SoGang : Yes, thank you. I think we're showing the possibility that we can now handle cells with robots, so I think that the process of synthesizing proteins from cell culture will also be enough for robots.
KUAS : Then, did you design it with the study of eukaryotic cells in mind?
SoGang : Yes. The cells we use are faxing, so it's based on animal cells.
KUAS : We're using a microbial-based lab, and is the Sogang team doing research that encompasses both robots and creatures in one lab?
SoGang : Yes.
KUAS : How does the robot arm operate?
SoGang : The robot arm is based on Python, and the basic movement is defined through the library. Depending on how we organize the code, we can implement various actions.
KUAS : I saw earlier that there were three driveshafts, so if I input each code, do I act freely?
SoGang : Yes.
KUAS : You're building a device that's both software and hardware. I wonder what you think about the budget for building the system and the estimated cost of commercialization.
SoGang : We were actually planning to commercialize it so that we could run it part-time so that we could access this robot. So I haven't thought about that stage in detail yet, so I haven't thought about the exact budget, but I think I'll be able to keep using it for a while.
KUAS : Oh, thank you. So you're really thinking like you're renting other mechanical devices, but if you really think about the user scenario in the future, how about installing one by one for each region?
SoGang : It was really expensive to install a robot, so I was going to distribute that education system using only this robot in our lab.
KUAS : Then you said you were thinking of using it for education, but I think the opportunity to try direct experiments has been deprived because of COVID-19, but I think it's really good for students to experience it in terms of education because there students to experience in terms of education.
SoGang : Thank you.
3. Time to ask questions, feedback and suggest additional ideas -To KUAS // From SoGang Korea team-
SoGang Korea : What kind of bacteria do you use?
KUAS : When cloning, you can use a strain called dh5α in E.coli. After cloning, take out the plasmid and put it in the strain you want. That's how the experiment is designed.
SoGang Korea : Thank you. And you said you're going to decompose green algae. Does it selectively decompose green algae even if other impurities are included in the algae? We think it could be blocked if foreign substances get stuck in the filter, so we wonder if you considered that.
KUAS : So we had a lot of discussions about the filter form at first, and the final decision was to use the MBBR method, which was to grow a sponge-like biofilm, or a light vegetable, and then put several biofilm in one tank to react. So, rather than targeting algae directly, we set a goal to eliminate the substances that cause algae. That's why we talked about Anamox, and secondly, hydrogen peroxide can cause algae to occur due to nitrogen sources in rivers and lakes, so we decided to try to prevent that from now on, so we thought about adding hydrogen peroxide. It's not like green algae get stuck in a filter, it's like a boiling point pollution source in an agricultural waterway, where eluted water can flow into a river, or it can flood and sweep the soil. Let's set up a tank with adier or create a separate waterfront to react. That's what I'm thinking.
SoGang Korea : I think that's a good idea. Are you willing to make a filter?
KUAS : The way it actually works is like this, the ones that float around here are the filters that we're working on. And now, if conditions are available, we're actually selling that kind of light, so we're thinking about applying it to that. First of all, we are thinking of producing and purifying proteins with the Cell free system as our primary goal.
SoGang Korea: Is there any special reasons for using cell free system?
KUAS : The reason why we focused on cell free is that in real life experiments, like automating machines, we produce a lot of proteins through strains, such as purity, or inefficiency, so if we can mechanically perform this process in a laboratory with solutions, we can theoretically produce certain quality, fast production, economically, and then we can make them into DNA polymerase, ribosomes. We will produce the enzyme and attach it to the filter to check if it is efficient.